United Nations, 20 November—In her message for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, 25 November, UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet is calling for bold action and decisive leadership to galvanize efforts to end the pandemic of violence against women and girls, which claims more casualties and victims than terrorism. [See full text below]

Launching COMMIT, a new initiative asking governments to make national commitments which will be showcased globally, Ms. Bachelet underlines that ending violence against women is possible. Today 125 countries have laws that penalize domestic violence, a huge step forward from just a decade ago. But she said this is not enough. Up to seven in ten women continue to be targeted for physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime and 603 million women live in countries where domestic violence is still not a crime.

“We all must do better to protect women and prevent this pervasive human rights violation. Governments and leaders must lead by example. Now is the time for governments to translate international promises into concrete national action,” says Ms. Bachelet in her message.

According to the UN Office for Drugs and Crime: “Domestic violence is the most widespread form of violence against women. Domestic violence is the main cause of female homicides worldwide. In Europe alone, 3,500 women are murdered by their intimate partners every year. Those figures are growing in several EU countries including Spain, Italy and the UK. A 2004 national study on femicide in South Africa estimated that a woman is killed by her intimate partner every six hours. In Latin America and in Canada, between 60 and 70% of all female homicides are perpetrated by an intimate partner.

“Violence against women and girls is a significant threat to women’s economic independence and deeply affects women’s capacity to find and keep a job as well as their performance at work,” the report says.

Next March, the focus of the UN Commission on the Status of Women will be to tackle violence against women and girls and expectations are high for Governments to agree on frameworks that will truly address ending violence against women and girls.

Coinciding with the International Day, the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, the only multilateral grant-making mechanism exclusively dedicated to ending all forms of violence against women and girls, is announcing its Call for Proposals for its 17th grant-making cycle. Special focus will be on violence against adolescents and young girls, and proposals that foster their leadership and activism as champions of change.

The Executive Director’s Video Message for the Day:

English version: http://youtu.be/SH4tlxxc9nc;

French version: http://youtu.be/IOOfidorjGM;

Spanish version: http://youtu.be/MZRuWu0CEao

Special Compilation on Ending Violence against Women

Message of Michelle Bachelet for the International Day to End Violence against Women

I am often asked whether ending violence against women is possible given the pervasiveness and persistence of these crimes. My answer is yes. It is possible. But we can only do it together. We are all responsible and it is time for leaders to fulfill the promises made to women.

Today on the International Day to End Violence against Women, I call on all leaders: Take a stand to end violence against women and girls.

Last year I launched the 16-step policy agenda. Today, I urge all Heads of State and Government to end the scourge of violence that affects every society by participating in an exciting global initiative to showcase national commitments to end violence against women and girls.

The first step has been taken: the silence has been broken. Today at least 125 countries outlaw domestic violence and there is a large body of legislation on violence against women and girls. There is international agreement on the way forward as articulated in the Beijing Platform for Action.

One hundred and eighty-seven countries have ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. Knowledge on the root causes of violence has increased, and women, men and young people continue to mobilize in huge numbers against violence. There are countless organizations whose members work tirelessly to support survivors and, in many countries, policy-makers have taken decisive action. But it is not enough.

We all must do better to protect women and prevent this pervasive human rights violation. Governments and leaders must lead by example. Now is the time for governments to translate international promises into concrete national action.

We hope to see new and improved laws and national action plans that provide for safe houses, free hotline services and free health and legal aid to survivors. We count on education programmes that teach human rights, equality and mutual respect, and inspire young people to take leadership on ending violence against women and girls. We need increasing numbers of women in politics, law enforcement, and peacekeeping forces. We need equal economic opportunities and decent jobs for women.

All of these actions require decisive and courageous leaders. Next March, leaders from governments and civil society will come together at the UN Commission on the Status of Women to agree on action to prevent and respond effectively to violence against women. Expectations are high, and they should be. In some countries, up to 7 in 10 women will be beaten, raped, abused, or mutilated in their lifetimes. A crisis of such proportions deserves nothing less than the highest attention of world leaders. There can be no peace, no progress, when women live under the fear of violence.

Today violence against women is increasingly recognized for what it is: a threat to democracy, a barrier to lasting peace, a burden on national economies, and an appalling human rights violation.  As more and more people believe that violence against women is neither acceptable nor inevitable, as more and more perpetrators are punished, the change to end violence against women grows deeper and stronger.

This is not just a women’s issue, this is a responsibility for all of us. This violence is an outrage and it must be stopped. Time has run out for complacency or excuses. Let us show the will, the determination and let us mobilize greater resources to end what is a scourge of humanity, violence against women.

Yes, it is possible.

Global Trades Union launches its own campaign to stop Violence Against Women

Violence against women is the most widespread and socially tolerated of all human rights violations. The latest report of the UN Special Rapporteur (May 2012) confirms that the amount of different types of gender-related killings is reaching alarming proportions. Sharan Burrow, ITUC General Secretary, said “Governments have the responsibility to stop violence against women, but too many of them are failing to do so. Impunity is the norm in many places, so we need better laws to prevent violence, and real enforcement of these laws to protect women and girls.”

The unions are also pointing to the impact of economic austerity measures, with reduced services to protect women, and economic stresses fuelling violent behaviour.

“A major focus for the union movement is to tackle violence against women at the workplace. Unions around the world are working on measures to ensure women are protected at work, and education and publicity actions to bring home just how serious and unacceptable it is to ignore the issue,” said Burrow.

Public demonstrations and events to mobilise support for the campaign will take place on 25 November, including union-organised events in Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, India, Italy, Panama, the Philippines and Mozambique. For more information:

See the series of articles in Equal Times

Watch the ITUC video

Visit http://www.un.org/en/women/endviolence/ UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign, supported by the ITUC

See the GU’s statement for 57 UNCSW